1. Field of Disclosure
The disclosure relates generally to treatment compositions for the treatment of dermal tissue, including treatment compositions useful as soft tissue fillers and/or tissue glues, which incorporate one or more cationic steroidal antimicrobial (CSA) compounds to provide one or more of anti-microbial activity, anti-inflammatory activity, reduced pain, and increased rate of tissue healing.
2. Related Technology
Many treatment compositions are introduced into or applied onto a subject's tissues. For example, soft tissue fillers (also commonly referred to as dermal fillers or injectable implants) are often injected into the dermal layers of the face to create a smoother or fuller appearance, or are injected in other dermal areas for cosmetic or medical reasons. Some medical compounds are used as tissue glues for the fixation and closure of tissue openings, wounds, and lacerations. Tissue glues are commonly formed from a cyanoacrylate compound. In some instances, tissue glues can negate or reduce the amount of suturing/stitching required to close a tissue wound. Some tissue glues are also used to occlude fistulas or to embolize blood vessels.
These treatment compositions can be used to provide several medical benefits. However, even when strict sterilization procedures are followed, such treatment compositions can be subject to microbial contamination, including biofilm formation. In addition, the related procedures can inadvertently introduce microbes into the associated tissues, even if the treatment compositions and targeted tissues were initially sterile. When biofouling of the composition occurs, infection and subsequent medical complications can occur. Typically, the resulting composition (e.g., the injected dermal filler or the hardened tissue glue) must be removed from the subject, the subject must be retreated to correct the deficiency caused by the removal, and the subject must be treated with antibiotics to address the infection and/or to prevent reinfection.
In some cases, biofouling can be associated with even more detrimental health effects. In many circumstances, the applied and/or injected treatment composition serves as a site for microbial contamination and biofilm formation, which can lead to recurrent and difficult to manage infections. These infections can occur at tissue near the treatment site, or can even spread and occur at other remote locations in a subject's body. A microbial infection associated with a fouled composition can cause serious health problems for the patient, and can even lead to very serious and deadly conditions, such as sepsis. Even when treatable, these types of infections require additional medical care, with its concomitant costs, prolonged healing times, and patient discomfort.
In addition, the injection and/or application of a treatment composition can trigger an inflammatory response from the subject, even in the absence of any corresponding infection. This can occur because of the subject's reaction to the introduction of an unknown and foreign substance. In many instances, even if the composition itself is bio-inert, the way by which it is deployed requires the composition to be contacted against surrounding tissues, which can aggravate the surrounding tissues and lead to inflammation and pain.